African Conference on the Implementation of the United Nations' Programme of Action on Small Arms: Needs and Partnerships

A word from South Africa on behalf of Arican memebers of the Organisation Committee

The adoption of the Programme of Action (UNPoA) during the July 2001 United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects placed the issue of illicit arms proliferation on the global agenda and presented Member States with a framework for concerted action to prevent, combat and eradicate this illicit trade. The UNPoA recognised that while efforts by individual States at the respective national levels needed to be more focused, including the establishment and adoption of the necessary mechanisms and administrative and legal measures and processes, that regional and global co-operative measures should also be established or improved.

As part of the regional conferences that have been held since the UN Conference in July 2001 aimed at assessing the implementation priorities in various parts of the world, South Africa regarded it as a particular honour to act as an African co-host, along with Kenya, Mali and Nigeria, the African Conference on the Implementation of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms: Needs and Partnerships.

The Conference recognised that the prioritisation of the implementation measures differ within Africa, as stated in the UNPoA, “bearing in mind the different situations, capacities and priorities of States and regions”. In this context, the Conference structure was of such a nature that it provided the regions in Africa to consider these priorities amongst themselves and the final Conference Report clearly reflects the approaches that the various sub-regions in Africa wish to follow in implementing the UNPoA.

Another important element of the Conference was that it provided the countries from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with an opportunity to gain firsthand insight into the possible role that they can play in the implementation of the UNPoA in Africa at the national, regional and global levels.

The active participation of civil society in the Conference again underlined the constructive partnerships that continue to be forged amongst governments and non-governmental organisations and the important role that the latter can play in the implementation of the UNPoA.

As can be seen from the final Conference Report, it has deliberately steered clear of imposing upon any country an obligation to assist another in the implementation of the UNPoA, but that it has instead attempted to simply “map out” measures that should be undertaken within Africa. It is South Africa’s hope that from this, constructive partnerships can be forged amongst African countries themselves and amongst African countries and partners from OECD and other countries in the implementation of the UNPoA.

On behalf of Kenya, Mali and Nigeria, South Africa wishes to thank the Governments of Austria, Canada, The Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom for their generous support in financing this Conference. We would also wish to thank SaferAfrica for organising the Conference and fulfilling the secretariat role with great success. Finally, we wish to thank all Conference participants, some of whom had travelled a great distance to South Africa, for their participation in the Conference.